


Tears on Paper

by Frasers_soulmate



Category: due South
Genre: Books, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Homesickness, Hurt/Comfort, Other, Tears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-23 01:47:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20884151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frasers_soulmate/pseuds/Frasers_soulmate
Summary: While waiting for Fraser, Ray took a book out of Fraser's bookshelf and looked through it.He makes a surprsing discovery...





	Tears on Paper

**Author's Note:**

> I was inspired from a comment a friend gave me at facebook.  
So I had to write down this short story.  
I hope you enjoy it. ;)

"I'll be there soon, Ray," Fraser said, disappearing down the hall to the shared bathroom.

Ray grinned.

At last his wish had come true, and Fraser was the one who had become dirty in their actions.

Maybe because he wasn't wearing his uniform?

Ray was still of the opinion that the mysterious Mountie uniform had some kind of dirt protector.

While Ben showered or in any way tried to get rid of the dirt from the garbage truck he had climbed into to rescue the important documents the thief they had been chasing threw in there, Ray looked around the spartan furnished apartment, in that his friend used to live. Actually, he knew every single piece of furniture and almost every item that contained the apartment.

He stopped in front of Ben's impressive bookshelf.

Of course, the grandson of librarians kept lots of books.

Books had been his best friends since Benny's childhood, Ray knew.

And probably his only. At least most of the time.

Lost in thought, he pulled one of the books off the shelf. Perhaps he had noticed that it's back was colorfully printed, not old and worn, like most of the other books Fraser owned.

Ray wouldn't be surprised if Ben had fished most of the books out of the garbage somewhere.

"Books are spiritual values, Ray, you don't throw them in the bin," Fraser had once reprimanded him when they had renovated Ray's room at the Vecchio house a few weeks ago and Ray wanted to dispose of some books from his youth.

He had given them to him.

This obviously quite new book was a big illustrated book about Canada.

Curious, Ray sat down in the old chair under the window and leafed through it.

Fraser had to have recently acquired the book, because the pages still smelled of printer ink.

Interesting, Ray thought, because Benny seldom bought anything new.

He leafed through the book page after page without paying much attention to it.

When Fraser finished the bath and no longer smelled like a landfill, they wanted to go out to eat and celebrate the success of the case that had kept them busy for three weeks.

Ray considered, Lt. Welsh to ask for a few days vacation, then he could go to Florida and relax.

He had earned that, in his opinion. The lieutenant had even praised him.

Yes, against a holiday on the beach, in the Florida sun, nobody could argue.

Suddenly, Ray sensed that the pages of the book felt different than they had just been.

He looked down.

The paper was rougher somehow.

It had some spots caused by moisture.

But he couldn't imagine Fraser pouring water or any other liquid over the book, not even unintentionally.

He had always been so picky with his books. Even the old, worn ones he treated like a treasure.

No, Fraser would never eat or drink while he read a book.

Ray remembered his textbooks in school. They had lots of dog-ears and greasy stains, because Ray was constantly doing homework and lunch together as a kid to save time.

Then he was ready sooner for going outside to his buddies.

Fraser would never do that.

He looked more closely at the pages. There were pictures and brief descriptions of the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.

That was the area where Fraser was at home. There was also his cabin, which he had rebuilt together with Fraser after Victoria had burned it down.

A bad time.

But that's so long ago ...

Why did these pages get wet? Well, those are the pages that Fraser has looked at the most and maybe he's sprayed water while drinking?

Fraser came back to the apartment with only a towel around his waist and saw Ray sitting in the chair.

"Well?" He asked, grinning, "Did you ever find a book that interests you?"

Ray held out the shriveled pages of the illustrated book and asked, "You're always so fussy about your things, Benny, what happened here?"

Did Fraser blush?

"Um ... nothing," Ben replied, taking the book out of Ray's hand and putting it back on the shelf.

"I just get dressed, then we can go," he said and Ray wondered.

***************************************

"Ma, I'm going to Florida, should I order Aunt Angelica regards?"

Ray closed the front door behind him.

"Of course, Raymondo," his mother answered, "and tell her I'm coming to see her in the fall."

In the living room he heard his brother-in-law Tony scolding one of the children.

"Ray!", called Tony, "Come on, I need your help!"

Ray groaned.

At the table his little niece sat over her homework and cried.

"She can't do it," Tony grunted, "and I don't know how to explain it to her, you're good with kids, try that."

All right. Ray sat down next to the girl and said, "Show me, mi cara, Uncle Ray willl help you."

He took her math book and looked inside.

It was wet with tears.

"Don't cry," he reassured the little one, "otherwise your whole book will get wet and you will not be able to read it."

Suddenly he remembered another book, the pages of which had the same spots, only that they had already dried and like a hammer, the realization hit him.

There were tears in Fraser's book.

Dried tears, wept on lonely nights, when the homesickness for the big, vast land was unbearable.

And suddenly he knew what to do ...

"Ma!", He shouted into the kitchen, "You have to call Aunt Angelica if you want to tell her you are going to visit her in the fall. I'm not going to Florida."

"What?" Ma Vecchio came into the living room, a tea towel in her hand.

"Why not, Raymondo?"

"I'm going to Canada with Fraser, he's homesick."

Ma smiled knowingly.

TYK


End file.
